Socialists Anonymous

It’s painful to witness Labour MPs pronouncing and parading about how important it is for their party to remain ‘electable’. It seems as if they are putting something off … the moment they say what they stand for? I’m wondering if there are many differences between this strategy for survival and the one compulsively adopted by many of the people I treat for addiction: to try very hard to cause as little conflict as possible; and if conflict arises (done this way it inevitably does, somewhere, and is by then usually explosive) to distance yourself as quickly as possible by the most effective means available. It never ends well.Addiction is always a struggle with powerlessness. People should be left to decide who they elect, not the other way around. The controlling ways, the obfuscation, banalisation and subtle coercion dished out by most of our politicians will grind our democracy to dust. And then what? A certain kind of aggressive narcissist may, as has happened in the past, become very popular. In the US men like Donald Trump and Ben Carson aren’t shy to say where they stand. Over here I see Boris Johnson. These are men I would worry about leaving in charge of the mulberry tree by my front gate, let alone the people I love (or hate).